I imagine he had to review the game quite rapidly, wasting his whole weekend making him angry, and causing him to not have enough time to properly understand the game mechanics.

Anyway...a cookie to anyone who reads at least three paragraphs of my thoughts. Might spur some interesting discussion regarding the nature of game reviews. Or maybe I'm just a big, clueless swine. Could go either way.

So far it is definitely better than the first one. Not much better, mind you, but better. In that regard, I'm not understanding the reviews at all.

I suspect over the coming weeks, when we start seeing the reviews not written by the usual suspects, the reviews scores will start to creep up. High 7's or low 8's sounds about right to me... unless of course it falls apart three hours into it or something.

Also, I noticed like the first one, it launches in "Below Normal" priority, so you need to alt-tab out and increase the priority in Task Manager to get better performance. I figured they would have sorted that one. Makes you wonder if the code-base isn't effectively untouched.

The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.That is easy.All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.It works the same way in any country.

Verno wrote on Apr 24, 2013, 08:57:Yeah that seems fair, Dead Island was a 6/10 for me so about a 7/10 sounds about right based on what people are saying and where the critics are landing. To be honest I've just started ignoring scores for the most part since it seems like the text and scores are often wildly contradictory (I'm assuming for metacritic/advertising purposes or something).

I don't either. I had already pre-ordered based on the first game, and the GMG deal with $13 credit and a copy of Risen made it worth it to me. I was checking reviews out of curiosity yesterday just to see what was being said. And started looking at more than usual after seeing several reviews bashing it for being more of the same (when we were told to expect more of the same), while they completely omitted mentioning new features.

Just a bit more info on the DLC. As I was wondering myself if the XP boost was continuous or if starting at level 15 was the boost and people without the DLC started at level 1.

And the special NPC vendor is in Halai...don't know where that is yet.

"A note about pre-order DLC: The Survivor Pack DLC...Once activated, it will give you the BBQ Blade & blueprint, a bunch of medkits, the XP booster (continuous), and adds a discount to the special weapon NPC vendor.

This does not activate until you land on Palanai. The items should appear in your inventory the moment you do.

I saw some people having issues with it and restarting Steam fixed that, so try that in the meantime while we go over it. If you can't find the NPC vendor, you can find her in Halai in a house."

Deep Silver also has an active Community Manager on the Steam forums.I'll just stick the URL here, rather than quoting a bunch more stuff.

Yeah that seems fair, Dead Island was a 6/10 for me so about a 7/10 sounds about right based on what people are saying and where the critics are landing. To be honest I've just started ignoring scores for the most part since it seems like the text and scores are often wildly contradictory (I'm assuming for metacritic/advertising purposes or something).

Well, let me put it this way. I had no idea it came with the DLC until after I bought it, and only then noticed it had also given me a key for the DLC. I'd gone to GMG assuming it had already been released (I bought it last night--and since it was already released on Steam, I didn't figure I was pre-ordering it), so it was a surprise to me when GMG said the release date was the 26th. I was actually about to cancel my pre-order until I realized the codes had showed up in my list, so I just used those in Steam and downloaded it.

Now that you mention what is in the DLC though, I suppose I am glad I got it because of the leveling thing (seeing as how the skills seem identical to the first one).

Aero wrote on Apr 24, 2013, 03:21:Because it just came with it. I didn't know I had it until I looked up my keys. It's cheaper than on Steam alone anyways. Seems to me that it just gives you a more powerful weapon to use once the game proper starts. Not really a big deal. I also started with 15XP, and I'm not sure if that's part of the DLC thingy or just the way it goes (since I already earned eall that stuff in the first one, it's just being a little closer to where I finished off the first one.

Still doesn't make sense to me, especially when it takes a few seconds to read the product page, be it on GMG or Steam. It "was" listed in both locations and in the last 6 hours while I slept it has been removed.

Everyone who pre-orders the game before its release will get the Survivor Pack, which grants players a BBQ blade, an XP/Stat boost for faster leveling up, and access to a special in-game shop with discounted weapons and items."

As Redmask said most DLC is superficial crap. In this case I'd disagree and it's DLC that is most likely going to cost extra in a month. Regardless, not knowing what you are getting when you buy something, even if it is just a game, seems counter-intuitive to the consumer process. Considering many people on Steam are claiming they didn't get their DLC, it's worth knowing what you should be getting, so you can make sure you do get it.

It's akin to reading the box contents on a retail product to make sure all the pieces are there when you open it. I don't mean to harp about it, to me it just seems like it should be standard practice to know what you are buying.

And I agree, it's a 7/10 game, mainly because regardless of the bugs it's still a fun game. Gamespots 4/10 review is garbage and contradictory. I don't agree with the practice of the whole Metacritic scores effecting developer bonuses, etc. But knowing of this practice, reviewers should be striving to be as accurate as possible. Being 30 points lower than the average of the other reviews, while contradicting their publications review of the first game. It's unfair to the developer...and their readers.

OpticNerve wrote on Apr 23, 2013, 21:04:For anyone who's played the original DI, was co-op ever fixed? I do remember there being a big issue where people weren't able to connect to each other or if they did, sometimes they would get booted out a few minutes after connecting.

At the time, it was very annoying to not be able to play with friends and I pretty much stopped playing at that point. I also don't remember getting any new updates for the original DI so I'm not sure if that was ever fixed. There were a lot of threads about this issue with no replies from the developer. It's a shame because the game seemed like it was fun but just the general bugginess of the game stopped me from playing after a while.

Krovven wrote on Apr 24, 2013, 00:45:I don't understand this. Why wouldn't you look to see what you are getting when buying something?

Much, if not most, preorder DLC is superficial crap or weapons that make no difference. I just gloss over the details these days. I care a lot more about getting a good price than Colonel Stumpies Exclusive Razer Gun!!. I'll look over the list but I don't bother researching what it is.

Aero wrote on Apr 24, 2013, 00:36:apparently you get the pre-order DLC too. I have no idea what that is. Probably nothing intersting.

I don't understand this.

Why wouldn't you look to see what you are getting when buying something?

Because it just came with it. I didn't know I had it until I looked up my keys. It's cheaper than on Steam alone anyways. Seems to me that it just gives you a more powerful weapon to use once the game proper starts. Not really a big deal. I also started with 15XP, and I'm not sure if that's part of the DLC thingy or just the way it goes (since I already earned eall that stuff in the first one, it's just being a little closer to where I finished off the first one.

At any rate, two hours in, and I'm liking it just the same as I like the first one. The graphics are perhaps minorly better, but otherwise it's the same game with the same characters in a new setting. As I mentioned before, this is okay with me since I enjoyed the first one.

I think, for me at least, it will have been money well spent. I don't know how it woks out length-wise, but if I enjoy it for 20+ hours like I did the first, I'm well satisfied with my purchase.

This is all a little premature though, as I only set fot on the island a few minutes before I was too tired and it was bed time.

As Is aid in the last thread, it's a hard game to gauge. The reviews are right in their complaints, but the scores seem artificially low. It's not a 4/10 game. I'd personally give it a 7 or an 8.

It probably appeals to a certain subset of the population. I'm not a big zombie fan, but it works here, and the challenging (though admittedlysometimes frustrating) combat, combined with the exploration and crafting, it just works out to be a good time. Like the first, I'll forget it the moment I'm done, but while I'm playing it, I'm having a good time.

Yeah, he standard GMG discount code works, and since it thinks the release is the 26th (you can still activate on Steam immediately though), apparently you get the pre-order DLC too. I have no idea what that is. Probably nothing intersting.

For $32, though, I bit. Given the time and enjoyment I had with the first one, I'm looking forward to the same with this one. Hopefully.

True, it *could* be so much more, but what it is is good enough for me. Here's hoping a proper sequel with the kinks worked out, a better plot, and more cohesion comes along one day. It really does have the potential to be a wonderful game.

Sort of reminds me of Boiling Point in that respect, which on paper seemed like one of the best games ever, and had some truly brilliant ideas and hilarious characters and dialog (though maybe not intentionally). Didn't pan out in practice though. I understand they totally screwed up the sequel, White Gold, (which I never tried), which is a shame. DI is definitely better than that, it similarly just doesn't live up to the concept as well as it could.

I've spent more than 250 hours on the original, so I'll defiantly pick this up, but just not first week. Honestly, Techland hasn't had a good game launch as long as I can remember. I really think they've hit on a magic formula with DI but they refuse to get real writers or address their obvious technical weaknesses. Not to mention since they can't even get one game out at a time in stable condition, should they really be trying to do two.

Actually I thought they had hit on a magic formula with CoJ but they have done nothing but screw up the magic of the first game. Even there, they didn't fix the obvious technical issues from the first CoJ game, mainly being the reprehensible console designs. Then rockstar came along and did it right with Red Dead Redemption. At least from what I hear and read, since I haven't played it. But rockstar are complete console dicks, since they didn't release it for PC.

What is with delusional sociopaths in game development, anyway.

@PHJF are you still seeing it on sale for $32 somewhere?

@OpticNerve we never had any problem connecting on Coop, at least I recall. And if it had been a bad problem, shirley I'd remember.

The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders.That is easy.All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger.It works the same way in any country.

I'm skipping this one but a friend of mine who picked it up complained a few times on Steam about the game joining stuff being broken which seems to jive with what people are saying on reddit and SA. Shame that they can't seem to shake the porting problems and other issues.

I just tried joining Hoodwinked, and some other random games listed on the Game Lobby screen and wasn't able to connect to any of them.

I assumed by the Coop Friends thread on Steam that coop was working for some...but at closer inspection, it seems like it may not be working at all currently.

I also had a problem not being able to rebind something to the Q key (Firearm Melee is hardcoded to Q), and recall that also being a problem at launch of Dead Island. People with 7.1 audio seem to be having a problem too, which was a problem never resolved with DI.

Seems Techland are experiencing many of the exact same problems they launched DI with, some eventually fixed, others not. Hopefully they get Coop fixed as quickly as they did with the first game.

OpticNerve wrote on Apr 23, 2013, 21:04:For anyone who's played the original DI, was co-op ever fixed? I do remember there being a big issue where people weren't able to connect to each other or if they did, sometimes they would get booted out a few minutes after connecting.

At the time, it was very annoying to not be able to play with friends and I pretty much stopped playing at that point. I also don't remember getting any new updates for the original DI so I'm not sure if that was ever fixed. There were a lot of threads about this issue with no replies from the developer. It's a shame because the game seemed like it was fun but just the general bugginess of the game stopped me from playing after a while.

Yes, Coop was fixed, played all the way thru it with a friend. Been playing this one too. I like many of the new fixes and changes to the UI. It feels a lot smoother now. And you can fricking wheel mouse to change weapons now. Game looks great too. and plays the same as before. But the guns now feel like they have more hitting power. Took down a Thug with no problem at all with an AK.